There are times that I wish for a skill that I don't posses. This one of those times. I'm usually only wish I possessed the talent and skills of Beethoven, but today it would be probably be Mark Twain. I can not express how angry, disappointed, and worried about this country I am.. The anniversary of Katrina, with the revelations that have come out, coupled with current events is the fuel. If you did not see Spike Lee's, "When the Levees Broke", I highly recommend it.

You see, I root for the disasters. I believe that chaos is not only necessary for change, but provides our best chance for change. I am a big believer that the concepts of consumerism and fundamentalism,that rule today, is not the kind of world that I want and that chaos, the bigger the better, is my best chance to see the change. I hoped this disaster on the heels of the tsunami might do it. But, the ability of some to keep us scared and divided continually surprises me.

So. I wait and hope for the San Francisco earthquake, or my favorite, a hurricane hitting New York. Then, maybe we might see sone real change. I can guarantee that the rescue of Wall Street would not take five days.

Monday would have been the 60th birthday of a friend of mine, Tony. I say would, because Tony came home from Vietnam with an abundance of health problems, that were never diagnosed. He entered a hospital, two days later,Tony was 44.

Tony was a "recon" force Marine in Vietnam, the elite of Marines. He was an an amazing and beautiful paradox. Here was a highly trained and proficient killer whose passion was raising and showing orchids.

Tony had health problems the entire time I knew him. They were nothing compared to the demons in his mind and soul that he "brought back". Those demons are fairly common among the young people we ask so much of, and he lots of them. Not the least of which was simply, Tony was a young kid from a small town in Texas, who was plucked from his life and trained to perform a task that is contrary to everything he had been taught up until this time. He was trained to kill. taken halfway around the world, and told to "go get them", and rewarded for doing just that. Then he comes back and there is no one to kill. .

My favorite memory of him happened on one of the many road trips we took aboard Harleys. For 5 years we took at least 3 trips. No destination, just a 2,000 mile loop with little planning except, "avoid roads of more than 2 lanes. We pulled into Winslow, Arizona and during breakfast Tony inquired about the busiest intersection in town. With this information he turned to me threw me his keys and said, "Come back at 6 this evening, if I'm gone then one of my fantasies came true and take care of my bike, if I'm still here give me back my keys and we'll never speak of this again".

Without saying anymore, he walked to the corner to stand all day. Some might find this strange, but I knew immediately what he was doing.
Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona
O Lord what a sight to see
It's a girl in a flatbed Ford

I returned at 6 he was still there. I was both glad and sad.

This was sent to me by a friend.

For  all you wildlife, environmental vs governmental type  people....This is actually a  true story and the account of the
investigation makes it even  better...

The  Dam

This  is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries by the Pennsylvania  Department of Environmental Quality, State of
Pennsylvania.  This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to  the response letter.

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W,  Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the  attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that  there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel  of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or  contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood  debris dams
across  the  outlet  stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the  start of this type of activity.

A review of the Department's files shows that  no permits have been issued.  Therefore,  the Department has determined that this activity is in  violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and  Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections  324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or  both of the dams partially failed  during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.  We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot  be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist  all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a
free-flow condition  by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the  stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January  31, 2006.

Please notify this office when the restoration  has been completed so that a  follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff.

Failure to comply with this request or any  further unauthorized activity on the  site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action..

We anticipate and would appreciate your full  cooperation in this matter. Please  feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management  Division.

Here is the actual  response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec.  20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 12/17/02 has been  handed to me to respond to.
I  am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget  Lane, Trout Run, Pennsylvania.

A couple of beavers are in the (State  unauthorized) process of constructing and  maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring  Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I  think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building  materials "debris." I would like to challenge your department to
attempt  to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose.

I  believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their  dam skills,  their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence,  their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

As to your request, I do not think the beavers  are aware that they must first  fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to  discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this  State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these  particular beavers, through the Freedom  of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable  beaver dam permits that have been issued. Perhaps we will see if  there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of  the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the
Public  Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled  Laws, annotated.

I have several concerns. My first concern  is,  aren't  the beavers entitled to  legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially  destitute and  are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have  to provide  them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either  one  or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing
flooding,  is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is  required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers  alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names.

If you want the stream "restored" to a dam  free-flow condition please contact  the  beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they  obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers  have a right to build their  unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and  water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live  and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and  Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the  natural resources (Beavers) and the environmen t (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned,  this dam case can be referred  for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until  1/31/2006? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then  and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass  them then.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your  attention to a real
environmental  quality, health, problem in the area. It is the
bears!  Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely
believe  you should be persecuting the defecating bears and
leave  the beavers alone.

If you are going to investigate the beaver  dam, watch your step!
The  bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request,  and being unable to  contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending  this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU.
RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM  BEAVERS

There is so much going on in the world today, that just simply defies the commonly held view of "our American values". We seem to have combined fear and the " American way" to alienate us from the rest of the planet.

Alot of people, I know, don"t think the government reflects their values or the values that they believe are at the core of this country. Whether it"s that democracy can't be spread at the end of a bayonet, or activist judges are stripping away our morality.

A realization that this country has never been about the people can be an "eyeopener". It has always been about a few at the top. The Declaration of Independence was written by a bunch of white men who saw themselves as aristocrats. "All men are created equal" really meant male, white and a landowner. This meant only about only 1/10 of 1% of the people living in the colonies at the time were allowed to participate in this declared freedom.

Every step for the freedom and rights of the individual has taken a struggle and the grudging movement of structure. It is given as a gift to and only then to keep the harmony of the vital working class. Think about it.

The well being of the nation isn't measured by any factor reflecting the condition of the citizens it is the amount of stuff made, and it's steady growth. Why is that? How did the amendment to the Constitution that was passed to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves come to be used to guarantee incredible rights to corporations to insure their unaccountability to the citizens.

Maybe it's time to adjust so that the real "American value" PROFIT and the securing of MORE is right upfront. It will certainly cut down on the confusion.

more to come.

II was raised in the fifties and at least the early part of the sixties in a very "fundamental" Christian background. I qualify this because, I can not make the association between what I was taught and the present connotation of the word.

I sat in pew for eighteen years, every Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening. Now I'm the first to admit the "spirit" wasn't always there. but my butt was in the pew. I heard a lot of sermons and a lot of preachers, some good and some not. But I never heard one bit of politics, in fact I was taught "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's; and to God what is God's". That prayer was a private conversation with God and the example of Jesus in the garden, where he left his "posse" to go off in private. was the best way to do it. Nothing about the "the evil scourge of gay".

I was taught to care for the poor, the sick, the less fortunate and that I was a steward of this, God's creation. Nothing about what occupies the portrayed pulpits of today.

I do admit I've changed. Since I left a pew, I have attempted to journey in the spaces between the major religions, with an eye to the sameness rather than to differences. I've found after lifetime, that when we look past, "who said it?", everyone of the major attempts to understand and explain are quite essentially saying the same thing. "TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER"

I don't call myself a "Christian", but when I think of "good people" my memories are drawn to that time and those people. Now i know that "those people" are still occupying the pews. Why are the only one's speaking, those with bad hairdos and a message of "separation"? What happened?